An Interview with DC’s Stephanie Williams

By Maddox Pipkin

Even if you don’t know her, you’ve definitely read Stephanie Williams’ work. In addition to writing
comics for Marvel, DC, and IDW, she’s also published original works like Roots of Madness and
Temporal.

While I enjoy her work on the whole, her stuff with Wonder Woman and the Amazons is uniquely
captivating. The depth she brings to the sisterhood is something that can be easily left behind
when you’re focusing mainly on Diana. Nubia: Queen of the Amazons and Trial of the Amazons
are both extremely strong runs that give more context to the world Wonder Woman exists in.
When it was announced that the creative team of the main Wonder Woman run (Tom King and
Daniel Sampere) would be stepping back for two issues, with Stephanie Williams and Jeffrey
Spokes coming to fill in, I was extremely excited.

I had the privilege of exchanging emails with Williams and asking her about her upcoming
issues, as well as some industry advice at the end for students looking to break in.

One thing that comes through clearly when you talk about Diana – and the Amazons in
general – is their very strong sisterhood. How do you plan to highlight that in a solo run?

I wish I were writing a Wonder Woman solo run. Maybe one day in the future, I will. For the
two-issue story arc I’m writing, without spoiling anything, know the story will focus on themes of
community, how individualism can sow the seeds of strife, and how important it is to remember
that you are always stronger together than apart.

You’re known for your deep dives into characterizations, how do you go about
writing/researching a character you aren’t familiar with?

I love reading, so any excuse to do so, I’m going to take it. In the case of characters I’m
unfamiliar with, I try to start with what’s widely known as their “big character” moments and work my way down to the smaller character moments I can build on for the story I’m writing that
involves that character.

What story/character have you not gotten a chance to write for that you’d love to
explore?

Vixen and Amanda Waller. I would go into further detail, but I’m hoping that out of the two, I’ll be
writing one of them next year.

If you could write any Wonder Woman story with no restrictions, what would that look
like?

That’s a great question. Without spoiling any possible future stories, I’ll say that I think Warriors
and a Wee Wonder is an example of what I’d do without restrictions or, in this case, “moderate”
restrictions. For anyone who hasn’t read Warriors and a Wee Wonder, it’s a DC Go series that
you can read on the DC Infinite Universe app. At its core, it’s a collection of slice-of-life stories
that explore the culture of Themyscira and what it looks like to be an Amazon living on the
island.

Before you were a creator, you were a fan yourself. How did you interact with fandom
spaces before and how has that changed?

Most of my interactions with fandom spaces were online, and well, spoiler alert, that wasn’t
always fun. Fandom spaces can be great, whereas they can also be highly toxic.
Now that I’m creating, I interact with fandom spaces mostly at comic conventions. People act
differently in real life than they do online, and by that I mean, no one is foolish enough to be a
complete asshat to you in your face versus doing so while hiding behind a keyboard. Plus, if
someone is spending their hard-earned money to come to a convention, chances are they are
there to have genuine interactions with the creators of the projects they love.

One of the hardest things when it comes to the comic book industry is breaking into it.
How did you get your start in the field and what advice would you give to others looking
to pursue it?

My journey into professional comics was anything but linear. I’ve described it as being
something like “Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road.” I graduated from the University of Illinois at
Chicago. I had a career in scientific research, working in an Electron Microscopy Lab at a
hospital in Charlotte, taking pictures of molecular structures to help diagnose diseases. But
writing comics had been my dream since first grade.

When I became a mom, I decided to pivot and pursue that childhood dream. While still working
my traditional 9-5, I went from podcasting to writing articles for geek and fandom websites like
SYFYFANGRRLS, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, and others. I was also highly active on Twitter, which
helped me hone my voice and see its value. I used to create story threads using stills from
animated shows like X-Men ’92, Batman: The Animated Series, and Justice League Unlimited.
Eventually, it dawned on me that I could tell stories the same way in comic format.
To learn how to write scripts, I picked up the director’s cut of House of X/Powers of X and
studied Jonathan Hickman’s scripts to figure out how to make my own. I teamed up with artist
Sarah Macklin to co-create my first webcomic, Parenthood Activate, based on my experiences
with my son and motherhood. Then came But What If Though and Living Heroes with O’Neill
Jones, which we successfully Kickstarted.

Everything I did leading up to my first professional gig was done with intention. I wanted to put
myself out in the world and do so consistently. It eventually paid off when Marvel’s Voices came
calling in November 2020, and then a DC editor, thanks to a referral from a friend, read one of
my pieces about the Dora Milaje and thought I’d be a good fit for Nubia and the Amazons. But it
was a five-year journey, and I’m still on it.

My Advice to Those Looking to Break In:

Be consistent and intentional. Put yourself out in the world regularly. Write for
publications, create your own comics, and engage with your fellow creators.
Hearing Williams talk about her work and her passion is really inspiring, and reminds me why I
love comics. Her creator thesis is about community, and that is exuded in every script she
writes. I’m really excited for her two-issue WW arc (coming out Jan. 21) as well as her future
projects.

Don’t be afraid to start. I don’t want to oversimplify that because money is often a
factor, but don’t let fear hold you back. Open that Google doc or notes app—get those
thoughts out, even if it’s something you don’t plan on publishing. Everyone has creativity
in them, and your story matters just as much as anyone else’s.

Get a dependable support system. You’re going to need people around you who have
your best interest at heart, will be in the trenches with you, and will allow you the safe
space to speak about your frustrations and aspirations. This industry can be challenging,
and having loved ones to vent to and be vulnerable with is essential.

Align yourself with artists who share your goals. Look for collaborators who are
trying to do the same thing you are. When I started making webcomics, I reached out to
artists whose work I admired.

Study the craft. When I got serious about writing comics, I went back to special edition
comics that included scripts and studied how they translated to the finished page. I took
what worked best for me and went from there. My scripts from 2019 are night and day
from my scripts now. There’s always room to evolve.

Be consistent and intentional. Put yourself out in the world regularly. Write for
publications, create your own comics, and engage with your fellow creators.

Hearing Williams talk about her work and her passion is really inspiring, and reminds me why I
love comics. Her creator thesis is about community, and that is exuded in every script she
writes. I’m really excited for her two-issue WW arc (coming out Jan. 21) as well as her future
projects.